The difficulties COVID-19 poses to the families around us in Brooklyn are not just medical.  Families are struggling to put food on the table amid unprecedented job loss and cuts in working hours.  As neighbors, we have jumped in to help many people we know as parents in our schools, fellow custormers in local stores, or just people we smile at in the street.  Now they need our help, and generous donations from members of the community are providing them with culturally appropriate food in a dignified fashion. Giving now will result in our contribution being matched dollar for dollar thanks to the generousity of the Robin Hood Foundation and IOBY.org.

On March 15, 2020, we launched the People In Need - COVID19 Food Insecurity Campaign. Starting with the intention to serve just people in our community in Flatbush, we hoped to raise $3,000 online.  But the generosity of our neighbors has been overwhelming; donations now total over $90,000, which we have used to buy food for over 2,500 families throughout Brooklyn. We benefit from the energy of over 200 volunteers and donated space in the Jalsa Grill & Gravy restaurant at 964 Coney Island Avenue, from which PIN assembles and delivers family-sized food boxes to over 300 families a week.

Prior to COVID, PIN assisted children of immigant neighbors with an after-school program. However, our current primary focus is on running the food pantry for the next year, for which need is anticipated to remain high. Indeed, we are assisting an increasing number of families as word of our work spreads.  Using interpreters, we are also making sure people are linked with other services, including legal assistance in the case of situations such as domestic violence or housing insecurity.